Canada to reposition itself on UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Canada is poised to embrace the UN’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples — even as the federal government remains under fire for the dire conditions facing the troubled Attawapiskat First Nation.

Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett said Monday that Canada will be changing its position on the declaration, removing its status as a permanent objector and becoming a full supporter of the document.

Bennett made the comments after Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould called on the United Nations to confront the legacies of colonialism around the world and to help rebuild communities for the world’s indigenous peoples.